1) On September 12th, you voted to purchase 520 Virginia Drive based on a purchase plus renovation estimate of $8.9M. The purchase plus renovation estimate is now well over $15M and ground has not even been broken.
2) Factor in the $177k tax implication of removing 520 Virginia from the tax rolls as well as the current estimate for additional operating costs of $800k/yr for 520 Virginia. These additional operating costs will increase taxes by $68 for the average taxpaying household.
3) Review ALL options for expansion. The Municipal Complex Master Plan’s adopted by the township in both 2010 and 2016 outline options to expand/build the library at the current location at a lower cost than renovating 520 Virginia.
4) Look at new libraries built by other municipalities.
– Kennett Square: $15M for a brand new state-of-the-art 25k sq ft library serving 44k residents.
– Springfield Township: Brand new 22k sq. ft library serving 19k residents. Springfield just spent under $22M to build a new library, township building, and public works complex.
– Horsham Library: 25k sq. ft serving 26k residents.
5) Size of 520 Virginia. We have 26k residents; do we really need a 65k sq ft building? Our current library is 15k sq. ft and other municipalities are building new libraries that are about 25k sq. ft.
6) Geographic location – According to Google maps, the average distance is 4mi for both locations. However, the new location would be in an industrial park and at the current location EVERY household with a student that attends the HS benefits from the library being across the street. The current location is also walking distance from 3 Upper Dublin Schools and many residential areas.
7) Review and include the costs to renovate and repurpose the library to township offices if the library moves.
8) Revitalization of the office park does not hinge on moving the library. Successful live, work, play developments such as the new King of Prussia Town Center do not have libraries. For example, the Upper Merion Township Library is 3.2 miles from the King of Prussia Town Center.
9) The Seltzer Agreement – The township entered into an agreement 65 years ago committing to keep office park traffic out of the neighboring communities. The library proposal suggests building a driveway from the library onto Highland, or potentially allowing turns onto Camp Hill from a road within the park. This is prohibited within the agreement and will cause a traffic burden to surrounding neighborhoods.
10) Consider the Upper Dublin High School Students that use the library. A township study showed that an average of 33 students use the library after school. Over the course of the school year, that is close to 6k students visiting the library. Having the library across the street from the High School is a valuable resource for those students that use the library for tutoring, group projects, or even just a safe space to wait for a ride.
Submitted by: Sandra Atherholt – Upper Dublin Resident